Scion xB Engine Problems

I was wondering if any one else has had a Scion xb engine problem. I took my scion to a scin dealer and the told me i blew my engine because it hydro locked due to water enter the intake through a custom installed intake. When I took the engine to another mechanic, three of them, They told me that there was no way that water caused my engine to seize up and blow a rod. Has anyone else had this problem?

Comments

Did you drive in water with that custom intake? A couple of people on ScionLife hydrolocked their engines by driving through flood water or deep puddles. They both had cold air intakes located low behind the foglight. One person's engine kept running, but made a ticking sound, which was diagnosed as a bent valve. He must have just gotten a little bit of water in there. Usually a rod breaks as soon as the incompressible water gets into a cylinder.

Low cold air intake + big puddle = hydrolocked engine. Yours is the third case I have heard of just reading Scion forums for three months. Maybe there have been a hundered hydrolock cases presented to Scion for warranty claims over the past three years. It may be hard show the broken con rod was Scion's fault. They are impossible to break without water in the cylinder.

In the first post the owner said: "They told me that there was no way that water caused my engine to seize up and blow a rod."

I guess "blow" could mean either bend or break. But I think it would only happen to one rod and not progress to more than that. In a hydrolock, the engine stops instantly. The owner called it "seizing", but seizing is a completely different problem.

Yes I only Blew One cylinder. The engine kept running until it ran out off oil and i can to a stop on the side of the interstate. My mechenic said that when he released the one bad cylinder the engine still ran. I mean it would turn over but wouldn't stay started. It did not seixe the whole engine up.

Your auto insurance may cover the damage. Scion (Toyota) is not responsible to warranty the damage to your engine caused by modifications to air intake you made.

Hydrolock due to stock or aftermarket intake is not limited to Scion, this is a known problem with many makes of vehicles when aftermarket intakes are added, and some stock vehicles with a low intake are known for this issue when drivers do not use reasonable caution and drive thru water.

i think that there is something wronge with the head gasket on some xb's i just blew my motor this weekend and it was caused by a bent(twisted) piston rod bashing a hole in the side wall of my block. they took the oil pan down and said that it was because i was over reving it!!!! WTF?? this is a commuter car, i bought it as a commuter car, and i was commuting when it happened!! i had driven 30 miles at like 80MPH and then poof. Well if any of you have read about this in other forums that i cant seem to find let me know i need all the evidance i can gather for court. thanks agian!!!!!!!!!

80 mph is 4000 rpm for a manual and is not over-revving. People drive at that speed for days on end. That is not the cause of a damaged connecting rod. Do you have a cold air intake and ever drive in a little water or a puddle?

I have a cold air intake and also drove through a puddle. My mechenics said that it was not water that blew my engine. Toyota said that my engine hydrolocked. That means the engine seized up. My Mechenics said that it did not hydrolock because the could move the damaged rod and turn over the egine and it would run. My mechenic said to take it to toyota and stick it to them.

Hydrolocking and seizing are very different. Their only similarity is that they can both stop an engine if severe enough.

Hydrolocking means that water gets into a cylinder (through the open cold air intake). The OEM air intake and filter are designed to prevent this.

Water is incompressible and suddenly slows the engine, which bends or breaks the connecting rod in that cylinder. A little bit of water will bend the rod, and enough water will break the rod.

If the rod bends, the engine keeps going but may make noise and vibrate. The bent rod is weak and has shortened the stroke on that cylinder, which will eventually cause it to fail.

If the rod breaks, the engine also keeps going, which thrashes the broken rod around and causes more internal damage. Often the engine jams up and stops, and people often refer to it as "seized".

Seizing, however, is technically when the piston expands and sticks in the cylinder from overheating or lubrication failure. It is almost unheard of in water-cooled engines. Often a seized engine will move again after cooling. But if seizing is bad enough, the piston will be stuck until the engine is disassembled.

Many people have hydrolocked their Scions after installing cold air intakes and then driving though a little water. Scion is very familiar with claims arising from this.

Hydrolocking is by definition caused by the owner who drove in water. The stock intake is high enough to drive in deeper water than the low intake of a CAI, and the stock air filter would probably kill the engine before water got as far as the cylinders.

The damage caused by hydrolocking is unique to water in a cylinder. It is like the piston meets an incompressible plug of steel, bending or breaking its connecting rod.

Hello,This new fuel conserving oil 5W30 is extremely slick and hasno ZDP. It is only good for increased fuel mileage. It givesthe engine much less protection. Number 11 said he has 40,000with no problems, but he has used synthetic which is far superior to the 5W30 10W30 Fuel Conserving oils. I have beenusing 15W40 Castrol Diesel oil. The mpg did drop 1.6 mpg, butthe engine runs great. 33,000.

HiI have been having intermittent starting problems with my new scion. Every once in a while the car will just turn over many times, and then start. i have had it in 3 times for service, and they have no idea what is wrong. If anyone else is having this problem please reply so i can be backed up with this at the dealership. Or if anyone has any ideas as to what is causing it please reply.ThanksScion06

I have an 06 XB with 2300 miles on it. What you describe has happened to me two or three times. Mine has never been back to the dealer. If you can't show them what it does, they won't do anything. You are wasting your time. My car is resting up north in my garage till late April because I'm in Florida. Unless it throws a code or doesn't start, I wouldn't take it back. Jim Richardson

Bought an '05 xB with 14k miles. Shortly afterwars, started getting an intermittent metallic rattling sound. It goes away if I push in the clutch slightly. The sound is engine speed dependent, barely there at idle. Does it in neutral and any gears. Intermittent, but happening more often.

Also, sometimes my engine wont turn over at all; I have to bump the car very slightly in gear, then fine. Are the two related? I'm thinking maybe so.

I just bought a 2008 xb and love it! However I am having problems with the automatic transmission. I can really feel the shifting from one gear to another especially from 0 to 35 miles per hour. I also feel it dragging when coasting down a long hill. Most of the time I have to keep my foot on the accelerator to keep it from dragging then it shifts real hard. I'm taking it to the dealer but I'm wondering if anyone else has this problem.

I bought a 2008 xb and had a sunroof put in. I noticed when driving it especially around 30 miles an hour that it sounds like a helicopter is in the car. Very booming and loud. If I crack my side window it goes away. Has anyone else had a sunroof put in. I told the company that put it in about it and they said as far as they know they are the first ones in Missouri to put in a sunroof on a xb so they don't know why it's doing this. Thanks

Hey thanks for the info from you and the person that answered after you.!! I have another problem. My XB is at the sunroof installer as we speak because of the shade rattling when the sun roof is open. Otherwise I love the sunroof. To me it's worth every penny. They said they would make it right so I'm crossing my fingers.

I bought a new 2008 XB from a dealer on Glenwood Avenue in Raleigh. Less than 2 months after I bought it the engine died and had to be replaced! I had complained about a noise in the engine but was told I was ok as long as the service engine light didn't come on. Supposedly the balance shaft broke sending metal pieces into the crankshaft preventing oil from getting to the engine. I demanded a new car but I was told the engine is a part and parts are covered by Toyota's warranty. Now I'm hearing the noise again. I thought this would be my best car ever but I am very unhappy and disappointed with Toyota. According to Consumer Reports, Toyota's quality this year has gone down. With what we pay for cars, I think after only two months I should have had the car replaced. If you're thinking of buying one, think long and hard about it. I would NOT do it over again.

Yikes! I don't blame you for wanting a new car. However, the BBB will tell you the problem must be attempted 3 times to be repaired before a new car will be awarded. I know this thru experience. I have a problem with the smell of antifeeze when I get out of the car. The Scion dealer ran a leak check and didn't find anything. The dealer also said if the light doesn't come on everything is fine because the engine is so sophisticated. Good luck to both of us.

I've had my 2008 XB since August and I have smelled that anti-freeze smell since i got it. I've had it back to the dealer twice and they look at me like I'm crazy and tell me they don't smell it. No joking it is a strong anti-freeze smell and they will not fix it because everything appears fine and they deny they even smell it. I called Scion and they told me I'm the only one to ever report the problem. It gets stronger the longer you drive it. I don't know what to do about it. Also just had to put out $300.00 for new front brakes and re surfacing of the rotors. Scion told me that it was "normal" wear. I am very unhappy with this model. I had an 06 model which got totaled in an accident and the 08 is crap compared to that one. I'm afraid to drive it because I'm worried it is going to leave me stranded somewhere!